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Mine Hill in Franklin and Sterling Hill in Ogdensburg, Sussex
County, New Jersey: Mining History, 1765-1900
FINAL REPORT: PART ONE, VOLUME 1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Dedications v
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
Table of contents xi
1. Introduction, legal references 1
General observations 1
Location 1
Nomenclature 2
Local communities and features 2
County and township designations 3
Words with special meaning 4
Confusing spellings 5
Maps and illustrations 5
Units of measure 6
Testimony, affidavits, and depositions 6
Legal presentations 7
Injunctions 8
Deeds 8
General discussion 8
Special considerations 9
Deeds to mineral rights 10
Deeds to leases of mineral rights 11
Deeds to exploration leases 11
Deeds to leases of mining rights 11
Mortgages 12
References 12
Legal references 13
2. Local iron mining and processing: general overview of the early
years 21
Introduction and perspective 21
Bloomeries, forges, and furnaces 23
Early iron-based activity in the Highlands region 25
The iron-centered communities 26
The ironmaster and his challenges 27
Crises 27
Staffing 27
Accessory operations 28
The iron men 29
References 29
3. Local charcoal-fueled iron forges and furnaces 33
Early Wallkill Valley operations 33
The Stockholm forges 33
The Sparta forges 33
The Sharp family forges in Franklin, Sharpsborough,
Hardistonville, and Upper Hamburg 34
References 36
4. Magnetite deposits and iron mines in the Franklin-Sterling Hill
area 39
Regional overview 39
Introduction 39
The Furnace Magnetite Bed 39
Historical observations 39
Geology of the Furnace Magnetite Bed 40
The "two magnetite beds'' discussions 44
Mineralogy of the Furnace Magnetite Bed 45
Mining of the Furnace Magnetite Bed 46
The Black Hole 46
The marble-hosted intermediate magnetite deposits 46
General description 46
The mines 47
Longshore Mine 47
Pike's Peak Mine 47
Geology 47
Mining history 49
Furnace Mine (old Wheel-pit Mine) 49
Mining history 49
The gneiss-hosted magnetite deposits on Balls Hill 50
Geology 50
Mining history 51
Iron mining at Sterling Hill 53
General discussion 53
Lord Stirling and iron mining 53
Iron mining on lot #10 at Sterling Hill 54
Discussion 56
Appendix I: Regional iron-ore deposits: their geology and mining
57
Origins of the magnetite ore deposits 57
Regional iron mining in the New Jersey Highlands 58
Regional iron mines south of Franklin and Sterling Hill 59
The Andover group 59
Geology 59
Mining history 59
The Ogden group and the Edison Mine 61
Geology 61
Mining history 61
The Ogden Mine Railroad 62
The great Edison project 63
Regional Iron mines north of Franklin and Sterling Hill 66
Cedar Hill Mine 67
Pochuck Mine 67
Simpson Mine 68
Edsall Mine 68
References 69
5. The Franklin furnace: its life and death; The Franklin Furnace
Company; The Franklin Manufacturing Company; Dr. Samuel Fowler's
mineral rights; The Ames family and the Franklin furnace 73
Introduction 73
Early iron-making 73
Dr. Fowler and John Odell Ford purchase the Franklin furnace 74
Transportation 76
Dr. Samuel Fowler and his Franklin Furnace Company 78
The Franklin Manufacturing Company 79
Dr. Fowler's sale of the Franklin furnace 79
Dr. Fowler's mineral rights 80
The Ames family's operation of the Franklin furnace and the
Franklin Manufacturing Company 80
Financial failure at the Franklin furnace 84
Operations at Franklin furnace: 1842-1847 85
General discussion 87
The demise of charcoal furnaces 88
The closing of the Franklin furnace 91
References 91
6. The zinc deposits at Franklin and Sterling Hill; General
introduction to the deposits; Early scientific observations from the
literature; Testimony of scientists on the separations of beds 93
General introduction to the zinc deposits 93
The Mine Hill zinc deposit in Franklin 95
The Sterling Hill zinc deposit in Ogdensburg 99
Early scientific observations from the literature 100
Testimonies concerning the separation of beds at the Mine Hill
zinc deposit in Franklin 106
Testimonies concerning the separation of beds at the Sterling
Hill zinc deposit in Ogdensburg 109
References 110
7. The Franklin and Sterling Hill zinc deposits: discovery, early
history, and early workings; The Stirling Tract and the Ogden Divisions;
Dr. Samuel Fowler; Transactions of the Ogden and Fowler families;
Colonel Samuel Fowler and his acquisitions; The Standards of Weights
and Measures 113
Discovery of the zinc deposit at Sterling Hill 113
Lord Stirling's activity 114
The Ogden family and Sterling Hill 116
The Stirling Tract and the Ogden divisions 117
Dr. Samuel Fowler (1779-1844) 121
Dr. Samuel Fowler's early Sterling Hill acquisitions 122
Transactions involving the Stirling Tract in the divisions of
Elias Ogden's estate 123
Dr. Samuel Fowler's Sterling Hill acquisitions: a summary 125
Dr. Fowler's acquisition of Mine Hill in Franklin 126
The estate of Dr. Samuel Fowler 126
The will of Dr. Fowler 126
The "rest and residue'' of Dr. Fowler's estate 127
Acquisitions of properties at Franklin and Sterling Hill by
Colonel Samuel Fowler 129
Early workings at Sterling Hill 131
Discovery and early workings at Franklin 131
Introduction 131
Early workings 132
The Weights and Measures Opening 133
The Standards of Weights and Measures 134
References 136
8. Mineral exploitation: status report at mid-century; Retrospective
and prospective views: the 1850s, the period of greatest change at
Franklin and Sterling Hill; The rise of communities 139
Retrospective view 139
Prospective view 140
Pivotal factors in emerging development 140
The zinc situation at Franklin 140
The zinc situation at Sterling Hill 141
Investment and development 141
The rise of the scoundrels 142
Mineral rights and land ownership 142
The rise of communities 142
General discussion 142
Company stores 143
Housing 144
Summary 144
The diverging story 144
References 144
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